Italy's Football Secret

Italy's Football Dominance and Achievements

One of the things I have always wondered was, why Italians are so good at football.

Italy have enjoyed success in football, winning four Fifa World Cups in 1934, 1938, 1982 and 2006 with also one European Championship in 1968. Along with that success Italian club teams have won twelve Uefa European Cups and seven Uefa Cups.

As I recently went to Italy for a holiday, I decided to look for evidence as to why they are so successful in football. Below I have listed my detailed findings with photos to support them.

The Country

The first and most obvious piece of evidence is the shape of the country itself. As you can see in the main picture above, the shape of Italy looks like a big boot kicking a football.

Italian public bathroom

Public Bathrooms

The next piece of evidence is found in the bathrooms of many public places. As I tried to wash my hands I could not figure out how to turn on the tap. Luckily I looked down to see they have a foot pedal to control the water flow. As you can see, the Italians practice their balance and foot control subconsciously as they wash their hands.

Italian cafe, Motta in Milan

Cafes

In Italy if you go to a cafe for a drink you will notice a lot of customers standing at the bar to enjoy their drink as opposed to sitting down. The reason for this is that due to tax, the price for a drink is cheaper to drink while standing at the bar than it is to sit at one of their tables. Whilst standing at the bar you subconsciously strengthen your legs, improve your posture and work on your balance.

Parcel from Italy

Postal Services

Whilst in Italy I had to arrange to send home some of my personal belongings. Everything seemed fine until my package arrived home in a clear plastic bag and a notice saying "received in this condition". Luckily nothing was damaged however this provided me with my last piece of evidence. As you can see in the photo of my package, it seems like someone has been kicking it around like a football.

Conclusion

As you can see from my evidence above, it's fair to suggest that these are factors which contribute to the skill development of Italians, making them great football players. Every small contribution makes them good at football.